Out-of-favour Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad has lambasted the PCB’s decision to impose a fine of PKR 50 lakh each on Pakistani players for their dismal show in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

According to ESPNCricinfo, the decision to penalize the players was made right after Pakistan’s 61-run thrashing at the hands of India in the group stage.

Salman Ali Agha and his men were reportedly told the fines may end up being waived off if Pakistan reached the semi-finals, but they failed to go beyond the Super 8 phase of the tournament.

The Men in Green began their T20 World Cup campaign on a nervy note, almost enduring a loss against the Netherlands. The team then defeated the USA but were crushed by arch-rivals India.T20 match tickets

Pakistan went on to defeat Namibia in their last Group A clash and qualify for the Super 8s. Their opening fixture against New Zealand in the Super 8s was washed out, forcing both teams to share points. Following this, they endured a loss against England, which left their fate hanging as far as the contention for semifinals were concerned.

Although England’s win over New Zealand gave Pakistan hope, they failed to make it count against co-hosts Sri Lanka. The 2009 champions won the match but couldn’t overtake the Kiwis on Net Run Rate to qualify for the semis.

A couple of days after Pakistan’s campaign came to an end, the PCB’s move to punish the players came to the fore. However, Shehzad has criticized the decision, citing that a fine is injustice to some players who performed well in the competition.

“I think it’s a very foolish thing to slap a fine of 50 lakh on the players who you (PCB) are paying billions of rupees," Shehzad said on Geo News.

“And then there are players like Usman Tariq. He hasn’t earned 50 lakhs yet. So how can he give you a fine of 50 lakhs? And what is the fault of Usman Tariq? What is the fault of Abrar Ahmed? What is the fault of Sahibzada Farhan? So there is no point in slapping a fine. Not at all," he added.

Instead, Shehzad called for the resignation of non-deserving people from top to bottom. “I would like to see who is stepping down. After so many horrific performances. The current management even got 2-3 events. So who is stepping down from this? Is the chief selector stepping down with his team? Is Aleem Dar stepping down? Is Asad Shafique stepping down? Or is Hassan Cheema stepping down? Or is Wahab Riaz stepping down? Or is Mike Hesson stepping down? Or is Salman Ali Agha stepping down? Who is stepping down? We are not seeing any of that," he remarked.

Shehzad questioned the PCB’s decision to pay whopping salaries (PKR 10 lakh/month) to cricketers and suggested that their monthly remuneration should be cut down to PKR 10 lakh.

“All the systems of our country (Pakistan) are already in front of us. It is difficult for people to eat and drink (in Pakistan). In such a crisis country, you can’t give so much money to cricketers for these performances. You are giving a lot of money to cricketers. Just look at their performances. You have brought an auction model to the PSL. Your player — Saim Ayub — who has not performed in T20s is also getting 13 crores. So your problem is that you are giving them 46 lakhs per month in their central contract. And then you are giving crores in the PSL. Stop this and invest this money in domestic cricket," he said.

“Don’t fine them. This is my message and suggestion to the chairman of the cricket board. There is no point in fining. You should bring your central contract in such a way that their maximum salary should reach 10 lakhs, looking at the performances of 3-4 years. And then the auction model that you have done of PSL, these players don’t deserve it. This money should be used for something different," Shehzad added.

Ahmed Shehzad wants this hefty sum to be invested in improving domestic cricket. “You (PCB) are giving a lot of money to the players. You need to basically minimise this. You have to fix this. What is 50 lakhs? Where you have given them 50 lakhs per month, they will give you that salary for a month. There is no problem. You have to bring their salary to 1 million. Or you have to do something about the 12 crores you are giving on their auction model. And you have to save this money and invest it in children. You have to invest it in under-16s, under-15s, and under-13s. In school cricket, in university cricket, at club level, at first-class level, at grade 2 level. This money should be invested at a national level. Because they don’t have any performance. So you have to do this," he recommended.